Mia Girl
MEE-uh
“short form of Maria; Italian for mine” · Scandinavian
#6
Scandinavian Girl Names
81 namesGirl
Scandinavian girls' names are known for their clean lines and gentle strength. Drawn from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and often from the older Norse tradition behind all three, they tend to be short, easy to spell and quietly distinctive. Names like Liv, Maren and Frida feel fresh in English while being long established in the Nordic countries.
Several names here reach back to Norse mythology and the Viking Age. Freya is named for the goddess of love and beauty, and Astrid and Ingrid are old Norse names with a sturdy, dignified sound. Others show how Scandinavian languages adapted names from across Europe. Karina, Kirsten and Mikaela are Nordic forms of widely shared names, and Lena and Anika are affectionate short forms that became names in their own right.
Pronunciation is where Scandinavian names can surprise you. In Norwegian and Swedish, Liv rhymes with give, and the letter j is said like an English y. English speakers often adjust these sounds, which is fine, but decide which version you prefer before you start using the name. If you want a Nordic feel without spelling challenges, the shorter names on this page tend to travel best.
Most popular right now
Lena Girl
LEE-nuh
“short form of Helena or Magdalena” · German
#279
Freya Girl
FRAY-uh
“lady” · Old Norse
#176
Kaia Girl
KY-uh
“uncertain; several possible sources” · Scandinavian
#193
Karina Girl
kuh-REE-nuh
“dear; also a form of Karin” · Scandinavian
#750
Erica Girl
EH-rih-kuh
“ever ruler” · Old Norse
#1,399
Erika Girl
EH-rih-kuh
“ever ruler” · Old Norse
#1,109
Anika Girl
AH-nih-kuh
“grace; pet form of Anna” · Dutch
#955
Mikaela Girl
mih-KAY-luh
“who is like God?” · Hebrew
#1,037
Astrid Girl
AS-trihd
“divinely beautiful” · Old Norse
#376
All 81 names
Sorted by current popularity. US rank uses 2025 data for the name's most common sex; the trend compares births with five years earlier. Tap a column heading to re-sort.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | US rank 2025 | 5-yr trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mia | short form of Maria; Italian for mine | Scandinavian | 6 | → -2% |
| Lena | short form of Helena or Magdalena | German | 279 | → -3% |
| Freya | lady | Old Norse | 176 | ↑ +9% |
| Kaia | uncertain; several possible sources | Scandinavian | 193 | ↑ +50% |
| Karina | dear; also a form of Karin | Scandinavian | 750 | ↓ -24% |
| Erica | ever ruler | Old Norse | 1,399 | ↓ -29% |
| Erika | ever ruler | Old Norse | 1,109 | ↓ -14% |
| Anika | grace; pet form of Anna | Dutch | 955 | ↓ -26% |
| Mikaela | who is like God? | Hebrew | 1,037 | ↓ -33% |
| Astrid | divinely beautiful | Old Norse | 376 | ↑ +19% |
| Maren | of the sea (from Marina) | Scandinavian | 472 | ↓ -7% |
| Liv | protection; also life | Scandinavian | 896 | ↓ -32% |
| Ingrid | Ing is beautiful | Old Norse | 1,121 | ↓ -17% |
| Frida | peace | German | 1,565 | ↓ -55% |
| Kirsten | follower of Christ | Scandinavian | 2,841 | ↓ -14% |
| Kiersten | follower of Christ | Danish | 4,704 | ↓ -53% |
| Annelise | blend of Anna and Elise | German | 1,072 | ↑ +48% |
| Sofie | wisdom | Scandinavian | 1,539 | ↓ -18% |
| Katarina | form of Katherine; meaning uncertain | Greek | 1,788 | ↓ -28% |
| Krista | form of Christina; follower of Christ | Scandinavian | 3,679 | ↓ -34% |
| Kristin | form of Christina; follower of Christ | Scandinavian | 4,706 | ↓ -43% |
| Ericka | eternal ruler; feminine of Eric | Scandinavian | 2,624 | ↑ +16% |
| Tyra | uncertain; possibly linked to the god Tyr | Scandinavian | 4,450 | → -3% |
| Karoline | form of Caroline, 'free man' | German | 1,718 | ↑ +65% |
| Kristine | form of Christine, 'follower of Christ' | Scandinavian | 3,228 | ↑ +14% |
| Sonja | wisdom; form of Sofia | Scandinavian | 3,966 | ↓ -51% |
| Selma | — | Scandinavian | 2,810 | ↓ -26% |
| Milla | short form of Camilla or Ludmila | Scandinavian | 3,817 | ↓ -33% |
| Lisbeth | short for Elisabeth, God is my oath | German | 5,331 | ↓ -46% |
| Maja | Scandinavian and Slavic form of Maria or Maia | Scandinavian | 3,747 | ↑ +8% |
| Meah | variant of Mia | Italian | 7,378 | ↓ -21% |
| Kierstyn | variant of Kirsten: follower of Christ | Scandinavian | 8,622 | ↓ -48% |
| Siri | short form of Sigrid, beautiful victory | Scandinavian | 14,700 | ↓ -46% |
| Evy | short for Evelyn or Eva | English | 3,793 | ↓ -19% |
| Jori | diminutive of Jorunn or Georgia | Scandinavian | 2,762 | ↑ +63% |
| Kierstin | variant of Kirsten; follower of Christ | American (modern coinage) | — | ↓ -100% |
| Anette | variant of Annette, grace | French | 8,407 | ↓ -8% |
| Christin | variant of Christine, follower of Christ | German | — | ↓ -100% |
| Kristyn | variant of Kristen; follower of Christ | Scandinavian | 6,700 | ↓ -10% |
| Kristi | pet form of Kristina | Scandinavian | 7,699 | ↑ +27% |
| Kirstin | Scandinavian form of Christine | Scandinavian | — | ↓ -100% |
| Sigrid | beautiful victory | Old Norse | 4,445 | ↓ -11% |
| Elisabet | form of Elizabeth, 'God is my oath' | Hebrew | 9,025 | ↓ -8% |
| Karena | variant of Karen or Carina | Scandinavian | 7,307 | ↓ -12% |
| Kirstyn | variant of Kirsten, a form of Christine | Scandinavian | — | ↓ -100% |
| Kyrsten | variant of Kirsten, a form of Christine | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Andra | form of Andrea, 'manly' | Greek | 8,405 | ↑ +33% |
| Krysten | variant of Kristen, a form of Christine | Scandinavian | — | ↓ -100% |
| Inga | short form of names with Ing | Old Norse | 9,714 | ↓ -17% |
| Signe | new victory | Old Norse | 11,789 | ↓ -56% |
| Kyrstin | variant of Kirsten | American (modern coinage) | — | new |
| Rebekka | variant of Rebecca | Hebrew | — | new |
| Kristan | variant of Kristen or Christian | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Marita | diminutive of Maria | Spanish | 6,732 | ↑ +143% |
| Nissa | feminine form of Nisse, from Nicholas | Scandinavian | 16,610 | → 0% |
| Eryka | variant of Erika | Old Norse | — | new |
| Tora | feminine form of Thor | Scandinavian | 10,839 | ↓ -25% |
| Naja | uncertain, several sources | Arabic | — | new |
| Krystin | variant of Kristin, follower of Christ | Scandinavian | — | ↓ -100% |
| Arica | variant of Erica, or Chilean city | Scandinavian | — | ↓ -100% |
| Karri | variant of Carrie or Kari | English | 11,405 | ↓ -11% |
| Karie | variant of Carrie or Kari | English | 12,527 | ↓ -30% |
| Katrin | form of Katherine | German | — | ↓ -100% |
| Kary | variant of Carrie or Kari | English | — | ↓ -100% |
| Karine | French form of Karin, Katherine | French | 14,039 | ↓ -25% |
| Cristin | variant of Kristin, follower of Christ | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Cristen | variant of Kristen | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Elna | short form of Helena or Elin | Scandinavian | 10,337 | ↓ -31% |
| Nilsa | uncertain; perhaps feminine of Nils | — | 16,600 | ↓ -17% |
| Erna | short form of Ernestine; Norse capable | German | — | new |
| Marlys | blend of Maria and Lis | German | — | ↓ -100% |
| Branda | variant of Brenda | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Kirsti | Scandinavian pet form of Kristin | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Helga | holy, blessed | Old Norse | — | ↓ -100% |
| Hulda | from Hebrew for weasel or Norse for sweet | Hebrew | — | new |
| Valda | possibly Germanic, rule | German | — | new |
| Awilda | from the Scandinavian Alvilda, elf battle | Spanish | — | new |
| Inger | Scandinavian name linked to the god Ing | Scandinavian | — | new |
| Arlys | uncertain; American name | American (modern coinage) | — | new |
| Gerda | enclosure, protection | Old Norse | — | new |
| Kristene | variant of Kristine | Greek | — | new |